In Western countries one may have knowingly, or unknowingly, heard the unmistakable sound of the Chinese vertical fiddle, or huqin, performed by a busker on a busy city street. The humble huqin, however, despite its simple appearance, is capable of reaching depths of musical expression far beyond expectation.
From the 30 or more types of huqin instruments documented throughout China's history, a few, such as the erhu, have remained popular to this day, reaching the level of a solo instrument capable of expressing deep emotions and imitating natural sounds such as birds, horses and even the human voice.
Although often likened to the violin, the erhu's sound is somewhat thinner and more nasal, with its unique tone generated by a piece of stretched python skin over the small sound box. Like other huqin instruments, the erhu does not have a fingerboard; the player's fingers press on the strings without the strings ever touching the instrument's neck. The hair of the bow remains permanently between the two strings, which are so closely positioned that the player's left hand effectively moves along both strings at once to create notes, while the right hand plays the rhythm and creates the musical tone.
During China's Ming (1368–1644) and Qing (1644–1911) dynasties, the erhu was popular for accompanying Chinese operas. It wasn't until the early 1900s that the erhu was developed into a solo instrument.
Musician and composer Liu Tianhua was instrumental in raising the profile of the erhu and recognised the need to distance the erhu itself from the music it had previously been given to perform. Mr Liu is attributed to saying: "[F]rom antiquity until today, there have always been those who consider fiddle music both coarse and lascivious, not in good taste. But this does not make clear musical sense. In fact, music's coarseness or elegance lies completely within the performer's expressivity and the make-up of the composition. The same musical instruments can express each of the "seven emotions" – how could the fiddle be an exception?"
This came about at a time when music conservatoriums were opening across the country promoting Western instruments, music notation and standardisation. Far removed from ancient Chinese musical thought, many traditional Chinese instruments were sidelined or reinvented along the more "scientific" and "modern" lines. For the erhu, its traditional silk strings were replaced with metal strings from the West.
In more recent times the erhu plays an important role in Chinese orchestras, filling the same parts as the violin in Western orchestras. Performers, such as Ms Qi Xiaochun and George Gao, both students of the famous erhu artist Wang Yongde, have helped to popularise erhu music at an international level.
The name huqin literally means "barbarian instrument", indicating the origins of the Chinese fiddles, like the erhu, being from peoples north-west of China. Possibly the term also refers to the simple musical language expected from such a "primitive" instrument. However, anyone today who has heard or been lucky enough to experience a master erhu solo performance in person is most often moved by the depth and richness of musical insight expressed through the instrument via the skill and realm of the player.
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